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Southern targets Toon return for Pool
KEITH Southern is targeting a place in the Blackpool squad for Saturday's visit to Newcastle after making a remarkable recovery from injury.
It looked as if the 29-year-old would be sidelined for months when he suffered a knee injury at Bristol City in pre-season.
But he has made a rapid recovery, stepping up his training in the past fortnight and making his comeback in yesterday's reserve match at Aston Villa.
Unfortunately the midfielder couldn't do anything about the result, Pool beaten 4-0 by Villa in their first Premier League South fixture.
But Southern won't worry too much about the result. He played 77 minutes, looked in good nick and came through unscathed and eager for more.
Southern, a massive Newcastle fan as a boy, was asked when he hoped to make a first-team return and he said: "You've got to look forwards and towards the next game.
"I've been in the sport long enough now to know that I'm not going to walk back in. Football's not like that. I'll have to fight for my place.
"Hopefully I might be involved at Newcastle but that's up to the manager. All I know is that I felt good in the game. I had a couple of block tackles, a lot of twisting and turning, and although I was a little bit stiff towards the end I feel fit and ready."
Pool fielded a strong team in a match played at Villa's Bodymoor Heath training ground yesterday afternoon.
The starting 11 included deadline-day signing Matt Phillips, club captain Jason Euell and Chris Basham, while Ishmel Demontagnac, Danny Coid and Ashley Eastham were also in the line up.
Highly-rated youngster Tom Barkhuizen, who made his first-team debut in the recent Carling Cup defeat at MK Dons, played an hour.
Pool: Halstead, Husband, Eastham, Tomsett, Coid, Demontagnac, Southern (Dodd 77), Basham, Phillips, Barkhuizen (Reynolds 64), Euell.
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Weather for Blackpool
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 4 C to 7 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: West
